Improve UX to increase Conversions and Loyalty in Travel and Hospitality

New trends are affecting how successful companies such as Expedia, Trip Advisor, booking.com, and Google Travel are engaging travelers.

These trends are changing the way the travel is now experienced.

Travel Tech Trends

Based on our experience and a lot of research, we’ve identified three key trends,

Customer experience is king

Anticipating travelers’ needs

Loyalty is influenced by the overall service experience

Customer Experience Is King

A bad experience creates barriers for users. These barriers determine whether or not they’ll complete a purchase. Users expect to get things done quickly, effectively and with little fuzz. No one wants their trip to go wrong. Or to have to spend time fixing it.

It’s important to have a clear understanding of a product’s purpose and not divert from it. By knowing your users’ needs, motivations, and behaviors you can deliver relevant content to your users.

Let Users Do Things on Their Own

Users are feeling more and more empowered to complete transactions on their own.

Customers are no longer willing to participate in time-consuming phone calls with customer service agents. Successful travel portals do this well.

Kiosks

Another good example of self-service initiatives are kiosks, such as those implemented by Aeromexico. As Pablo Gomez, director of Digital Strategy at Aeromexico puts it, “travelers want increasing amounts of control over their travel experience.”

Digital Concierges

Digital concierges are booming due to the need of travelers. Travel companies are deploying digital concierge technology to allow users to travel and experience a place at their own pace.

Travelers get the personalized help they’ve always hoped for right on their phone. Good examples are Prettyclose and Google Trips.

MarketPlace Niche

Millennials value great travel experiences. We see them thriving on adventure to unique travel destinations, from group kayaking to the solo backpacking experience.

Travel companies supports this way of traveling by creating category-specific sites and apps. This creates a personalized customer experience.

Anticipating Traveler’s needs

Anticipatory traveler experience is becoming more common. This is the next wave in personalization.

Users are expecting to have a personalized service. In exchange, they are willing to share their personal information. This allows travel companies to get to know their customers better by analyzing their data trails.

The use of big data allows travel companies to adapt to new traveling trends and make adjustments in business strategies. For instance, if a large amount of potential customers are looking to travel to Cancun, Mexico, companies can then create new campaigns to promote Cancun with different ads and booking deals.

Tailored travel experience helps companies boost their conversions.

Next Trends in Loyalty

Travelers are less influenced today by pure brands. Instead, they are influenced by the overall service experience.

One way to improve your users’ experience is through alliances with other companies to power up their traditional loyalty programs. A good example of this is Aeromexico Club Premier. Travelers’ gain points not only for miles flown but also by making purchases from specific stores. Users can spend reward points either flying or shopping.

Travelers Behavioral Patterns are Evolving

The customer experience in Travel and Hospitality is evolving. Patterns are influenced by technological advances and new ways of living. The behavioral patterns that travelers develop over time are the drive behind this evolution.